Improvement in feed-water heaters for locomotives



2 sneets sheet 1.

T. H. IRWIN. Peed-Water Heaterfor Locomotives. No. 203,158. Patented April 30,1878..

Q N E l Witnesses: In'w/ M01":

' J -M,JW 4 76' @w/A Attorney,

N. PETERS, FHOTO-LK'IHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D. C

T. H. IRWIN.

. Feed-Water Heater for Locomotives. NO. 203,158.

Patented April 30,1878v N7- a N O5 N.PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHEE WASHINGTON, u c.

UNITEDTSTATES PATENT Orr-Ion.

THOMPSON H. IRWIN, or DENNI QN, 01110, Assrenon OFVON'E-HALF HIS" RIGHT'TO WILLIAM r. EDWARDS, or SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT I'N FEED-WATER HEATERS FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 20 3,'l58,clated April Maren 9, 1.878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'I, THOMPSON H. IRWIN, of Dennison, in the county of Tuscarawas and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed-Water Heaters for Locomotives, of which the follo wing, taken in connection with the accompanying draw ings, is a specification. My invention relates to' that'class of feed Water heaters in which the waste-heat which ordinarily escapes through the smoke-stack is utilized for the purpose of heating the feedwater; and has for its object an increase in the area of the surface of the heaterexposed to the action of the hot gases escaping through the smoke-box, whereby a greaterproportion of the waste-heat is utilized, "and the feed-- water is consequently raised to a higher 'degree of temperature before entering the boiler;

and also such a construction and arrangement of the heater that,fwhile it is adapted to utilize the"wastfe-heat to advantage, itshall not interfere with the ready cleaning of the boilertubes,"-or theiiecessary repairs of the exhaustpipes or other devices"'contained within the smoke-box.

The invention consists in placing in the smoke-box of a boiler a coil of pipe, arranged about the outer circumference of the smokebox in close proximity to the outer shell of the boiler, said pipe being alternately bent; back and forth upon itself, so as to form a cluster of pipes parallel with each other, connected by semicircular bends, each of said bends and straight portions of pipe being equidistant from the shell of the smoke-box,

. one end of said cluster of pipes being connected to the feed-pump and the other end to the check-valve, in such a manner that the feed-water, after leaving the pump, is forced through the entire length of the heaterpipe within the smoke-box, traversing all of 30, 1878; application filed near the top orbottomof the smoke-box, in such a manner that the feed-water, after traversing the entire length of the pipe forming the cluster upon one side, passes through the connecting-pipe', to and through the entire length of the pipe forming the clusterupon the other side of the smoke-box, and thence is discharged through the check-valve into the boiler.

' My invention further consists in arranging the cluster or clusters of piping to form the feed-Water heater. within the Smoke-box, in

through the same, shall alternately pass and repass around or partially around the outer circumference of the smoke-box, as will be described.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a'transver'se section through the smoke-box of a locomotive-boiler on line as w' on Fig. 2, looking. to.- ward the tube-sheet, and showing my improved feed-water heater applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on line y y .on Fig. 1, looking toward the left, and illustratin'g one method of arranging the pipes of the heater. Fig."3 isa similar section on the same line, looking toward the right side of Fig. 1, and showing a'm'odified arrangement of the heater-pipes in elevation, and Fig. 4=is a transverse section on line 2 e on Figs. 2 and 3, lookin g towardthe tube-sheet.

forward beyond the forward tube-sheet B, and forming the inclosing cylindrical walls of the smoke-box G, from which the hot gases or products of combustion, after passing through the tubes D D, escape through the opening E to the smoke-stack or chimney, a portion of which is shown in dotted lines at E.

F is a pipe adapted to be coupled to the feedpump, (not shown,) and extending therefrom, through the shell A, into the smoke-box C, where it is connected to a cluster of alternately descending and ascending pipes, G, arranged to the curve of the shell A of the smoke-box, in close proximity to which they are secured by the curved supports H and H and straps I, said pipes being coupled attheir ends by means of the semicircular pipe-couplings J, in such a manner as to virtually form one conpipe passing from one cluster to the other at or tinuous pipe throughout the entire cluster or such a manner that the feed-water, inpassiu'g A is the outer shell of the boiler, extending side by side, and curved to correspond nearly a ctii, which, after several alums backand forth, extends across the top or upper side of couplings a a, together with the semicircular couplings J, as shown in Fig. 2; or they may be made up of straight pipes arranged horizontally and connected by the semicircular couplings J, as shown in Fig. 3; and the cluster'or'c'oil may extend from the support H upon one side'upward and across the top of thesinoke-box and downward to the corresponding support H on the other side; or the heater-pipe may be arranged in two clusters or coils upon opposite sides of the smoke-box, as shown.

When the feed-pump is set in'motion,water is forced through the pipe F, to and through all. of the pipes G of the coil upon one sideof the smoke-box, thence across the top of the smoke-box through the connecting-pipe, to and through the coil or cluster of pipes K upon the other side, and thence'through the pipe L to and through the check-valve into theboiler.

I am aware that a coil of pipe has been placed'in the smoke-box of a locomotivefor the purpose of heating the feed-water before admitting it to'the boiler; but, so far as my knowledge extends, such coils have always been arrangedin the center of thesmoke-box, directly in front of the tubes and surrounding the exhaust and petticoat pipes, and were objectionable in that they interfered with the cleaning of the tubes, andhad tobe removed whenever it became necessary to repair the exhaust or petticoat pipes; and,.further, they were comparatively inefiective,-for the reason that the areaof the surface ofthe coils exposed to the action of the'hot gases was too small.

I do not therefore cmimamam utilizing the waste-heat of theproducts of combustion for heating the feed-water for a boiler. Neither do I claim, broadly, placing a coil or cluster of pipes in the smoke-box of a boiler for the purpose of heating the feed-water by forcing it through said 0011 irrespective of the position and arrangement ofsaid coil; but

What Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A cluster or 0011 of pipe arranged circumferentially within the smoke-box of a boiler, in closeproximity to and with all of its folds or coils equidistant from and parallel, or nearly parallel, with-the inclosing-shell of said smokebox, the two ends of said pipe projecting through said shell, and adapted to connect at one end with the feed-pump, and at the other with the check-valve,-all arranged and adapted to operate substantially as and'for' the purposes described. I v g 2. 'A feed-water heater made? up of two clusters or coils of pipe arranged upon opposite sides of the interior of the smoke-box of a boiler, with all of their 'folds or coils in close proximity to and parallel, or nearly parallel, to the cylindrical shell of said smoke-box, and connected together to form one continuous pipe, one end of which is adapted to connect with; thefeed-pump, and the other end to the check-valve, substantially as and for the purposes described. a

3. Afeed-water heatercon'sistingof a cluster orcoil of pipe, the several folds or coils of which extend circumferentially around, or partially around, the smoke-box, in close proximity to and parallel, or nearly parallel,-to the inclosing-shellof said smoke-box, and ad'apted to be connected at one end to" the-'feed-puinp, and at the other to thecheck-valve, substantially as and for the purposes described.

Executednat Dennison, Ohio, on this 4th day'of March,;A.- D, 187 81 p is THOMPSON H. IRWIN. Witnesses:

J W. B sK, JAMEsNELsoN; I 

